Biografia

Jared Grimes

Choreographer

Jared Grimes' mother taught dance and he credits her with getting him interested
in his chosen field by giving him his first pair of tap shoes when he was just
three years old. Growing up, Jared watched films and TV shows that drew on showbiz
tradition, and was drawn to such performers as Bill Bojangles Robinson, Jerry
Lewis and Fred Astaire. "These guys were the Michael Jacksons of their time,"
he says. "Without them, there would have been no Michael Jackson."

Combining natural talent with the intense discipline that tap imposes, Jared
went on to make his mark performing alongside legends such as Gregory Hines,
Fayard Nicholas, Author Duncan, Ben Vereen and Debbie Allen.

Jared has performed across the United States and abroad touring first with
the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble. He later toured with Mariah Carey and
has also danced for artists such as Common, Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue and the Roots.

"Most dancers who make it to a certain level become choreographers and
they feel that everybody has to learn from them," says Jared. "But
that's not really the case for me. I feel that when you become a choreographer,
that's when you can really start learning from other people and come up
with something totally new."

Jared's stage credits include Babes in Arms at the Goodspeed Opera House,
Sammy, directed by Debbie Allen, Scottsboro Boys, directed by Susan Strohman,
Pure Country, directed by Peter Masterson, Vaudeville, directed by Christopher
d'Amboise and Broadway Underground directed by himself. He has appeared in commercials
and on television shows and his feature film credits include Little Manhattan,
First Born and The Marc Pease Experience.

On January 19, 2009, Jared Grimes performed with Wynton Marsalis at the Kennedy
Center on the occasion of the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

"What better way to introduce a new approach to tap dance than Banana
Shpeel?" says Jared. "If I had to sum it up, I'd say this show is
respect - respect for where we came from. Respect for the history and
tradition of Vaudeville and Broadway, a world where performers worked 18 hours
a day to perfect their art. The difference is, in this show dance isn't
a self-contained act. It helps tell a story. When the dance comes in, it's
powerful. And because it's coming from Cirque du Soleil, and not from
Broadway, it's something that is going to be really different."